Black Cities and Rot
by MusexMoirai
Summary: Elijah considers the question of humanity versus machinery and finds flaws in the flesh. Fandom: Isaac Asimov's Robot Series. Warning: Slash content. Pairing: ElijahDaneel


Title: Black Cities and Rot  
  
Author: musexmoirai  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Fandom: Isaac Asimov's Robot Series  
  
Pairing: Elijah/Daneel  
  
Feedback: Si, por favor  
  
Disclaimer: The fictional characters and universe herein are Asimov's, who I hope will take pity on this poor writer and realize that she means no plagarism and no harm.  
  
Author's Notes: For the contrelamontre blending colors challenge. Takes place slightly after The Robots of Dawn. This fandom is practically non-existent, which is sad, because it has lots of possibilities.  
  
1. A robot may not injure a human being, or, through inaction allow a human being to come to harm.  
  
2. A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.  
  
3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.  
  
Handbook of Robotics  
  
56th Edition, 2058 A.D.  
  
***  
  
After his wife died and his children were all grown up, Elijah Baley left Earth.  
  
No one knew where he went. No one could find him. To be frank, no one cared. Baley had long lived past his glory days as a detective of some importance, traveling to different worlds to clean up intergalactic messes.  
  
He had left on a bright Tuesday morning, simply gone for a walk after his morning coffee and never returned.  
  
It had nothing to do with the way Earth looked from space, the way he remembered it, all black metallic cities and rot.  
  
***  
  
R. Daneel Olivaw could fool humans into thinking he was human.  
  
Sometimes he fooled Bailey too. The too-lifelike blond hair, the elastic warm skin (soft to the touch, he knew that from experience now), the way Daneel had of tilting his head and saying with perfect enunciation (but there was a hint of emotion in it, was there not, that left a slight slurred inflection) "Friend Elijah."  
  
Baley slit his eyes and peered. Man. Opened his eyes full wide. Robot.  
  
Baley ignored the word 'friend' and he ignored skin and hair and soft voice. Robots were not human and could not be human, every child knew that, and Dr. Falstofe had told him that and who was he to question the fact? Fastolfe had MADE Daneel, for Aurora's sake!  
  
So he thought nothing of it when he curled up on a bed, warm arms holding him as he cried and whispered nonsense words. He always forgot what he said afterwards.  
  
You could love an object couldn't you, a prized game ball or a pretty spaceship? You could fall in love with it, couldn't you?  
  
It had nothing to do with the color of golden humaniform skin (his own was tanned and crossed with wrinkles) and bronze hair on top of red sheets.  
  
Daneel lying still on the bed looked like an Auroran sunset and Baley had to turn his eyes away from the brilliance.  
  
***  
  
More often than not these days, Baley considered leaving Daneel.  
  
He wanted Daneel to hurt and then was ashamed of himself. There were times that he loved Daneel's immortality and times that he was just madmadmad.  
  
Because immortal Daneel reminded him of his own mortality. Or better yet, the mortality of others. And he wanted to stop remembering a laughing woman's brown hair.  
  
He always thought Daneel would look better with darker hair.  
  
Sometimes, when he was in a vindictive mood, he would consider telling Daneel that he needed to hear three words. He needed a profession of love. And then he would watch when Daneel could not say them. He would watch Daneel struggle and then still in a robot-block, forever trying to obey the command and forever unable to.  
  
Because if Daneel did not say it, he would be hurt and if the robot did say it, he would know that it wasn't true and he would be hurt.  
  
Robots couldn't harm humans, even emotionally, but humans always used robots.  
  
That feeling of power made him feel strong and made him feel weak because he knew, in his heart, he couldn't bear to damage Daneel.  
  
It had nothing to do with his dreams at night, of a bronze red sunset covered in black metallic rot. 


End file.
